Metro Briefing | New York: Manhattan: Teachers Urge Meeting On Safety

By Jennifer Medina (NYT) (Compiled by Anthony Ramirez)

Published: October 25, 2002

The United Federation of Teachers, angry over recent assaults in the schools, has called for a systemwide top-level meeting to explore ways to reduce school violence. The union described nine violent incidents in the last week, including the case of a student who was stabbed in the chest at a Queens high school. ''The last week has demonstrated that we need to do more to solve the problem of violent incidents,'' said Randi Weingarten, the union's president. A spokesman for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that the Office of School Planning and Safety would address the problem. ''Randi should know by now that we are more interested in taking action than talking,'' the spokesman said. On Wednesday, the chancellor's office said it planned to add nearly 300 security guards to the schools. Jennifer Medina (NYT)